Closure means for tobacco pouches and other containers



Nov. 27, 1928'. I 1,692,969

I G. s. VAN VOORHlS CLOSURE MEANS FOR TOBACCO POUCHES AND OTHER CONTAINERS Filed April 15, 1927 patented Nov. 27, 1928.

in ure STATES VAN VOOBHIS, OF BROOKLINE, IVIA$SAC1LUSETT$ CLOSURE MEANS FOR TOBACCO POUCHES AND OTHER CONTAINERS.

Application filed April 13, 1927.

The invention relates to a new and useful improvement in closure means for a container or pouch. The object is to provide a closure of simple and cheap construction which may be cashy and quickly manipulated to open or close at will the mouth of the pouch to introduce material to or withdraw it from the con tainer.

The invention is especially adapted for application to tobacco. pouches t sheetrubher or other flexible material and particularly i'or use with waterproof tobacco pouches. It is also adapted for application to a jar or other container as to which it is desired to repcatedly open it to withdraw a portion out the contents and then close it again or to open it for refilling after the contents have been partially or wholly withdrawn and to then tightly close it again.

The invention will be more fully understood from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the novel features thereof will be pointed out and clearly defined in the claims at the close of this specification.

in the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a tobacco poucn embodying the invention, before the closure member is inserted;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional View on line 83 of Fig. 2, but showing also the closure member in engagement with the pouch;

Fig. 4 is a perspective View of the closure disk detached;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the upper part of the jar having a closure device embodying a modified form of the invention;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the cover of the jar shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view partly broken away of the elastic annular clamping member used with the jar shown in Fig. 5.

Referring to the drawings, the body of the pouch 10 may be made of any suitable material, preferably elastic sheet rubber, or if not made entirely of rubber the portion of the top immediately adjacent the mouth should be made of sheet rubber or other elastic sheet material.

The pouch is formed with a mouth 11 having a beaded periphery or rim 12 sufficiently elastic to be capable of being stretched to permit insertion and removal of the closure member 13. This beaded portion may well be formed by rolling the edge of the rubber Serial No. 183,472.

around the hole or mouth in the top 9 of the pouch. It the entire body of the pouch is not made of rubber the material forming the portion adjacent the mouth must be expansible so that it will yield to permit stretching of the beaded rim 12. Preferably the entire pouch is one integral piece of elastic rubber.

The closure member 13 consists of a plug, preferably a disk of wood, metal or ot ier suitable material having a peripheral channel or groove 14 between the flanges 15, 15. The smallest diameter of the disk, that is, the diameter of the grooved portion, is substantially equal to or slightly greater than the normal diameter of the inner periphery of the beaded mouth of the pouch. By stretching the beaded mouth the closure disk can be easily inserted so that-when the elastic bead is released from the stretching action and allowed to resume its normal diameter the bead will spring back into the groove as shown in Fig. 8 and the disk will be held iirmly in place making a watertight closure.

Vlhen it is desired to remove some of the contents of the pouch or to open it for refilling, the disk can readily be removed'by stretching the beaded rim.

In the modification shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7 the invention is shown as embodied in a closure for a jar. The jar is shown at 16, being formed with an annular outwardly extending flangel'? around the top having a shoulder 18 on its under-side. A cover 19 is provided having an annular fiat portion 20 adapted to be seated on the ilat top 27 of the rim of the ar and having a downwardly extending inner portion 21 to project into the mouth of the ar and an upwardly extending annular flange 22 at its outer periphery shaped to form an annular channel or groove 23 to receive the bead of the clamping member 24. The said clamping member consists of an elastic annular member or band 2 having a head 25 at its upper edge and a head 26 at its lower edge. Said beads may be formed by rolling the edges of the rubber band. The said band is of slightly less normal diameter than the outside diameter of the annular flange 17 at the top of the jar so that the said band must be stretched in order to pass it over the top of the rim of the closure or covermember 19, and the flange 17. The lower bead 26 may then be allowed to snap in under the shoulder 18 of the er and the upper head- 25 may be allowed to snap into the groove 23 in the cover while the intermediate flat face of the band Will pressagainst the flat side face or flange 17 of the rim of the jar. The flat portion of the elastic band between the beads and 26 should be of such width that When the parts are assembled the saidband Will have to be under some tension to hold the cover firn'ily down on its seat on the top or" the jar; that is, the elastic band should be of such width that it will have to be stretched widthwise from bead to bead, as well as stretched circumferentially to snap it into place.

After the band has once been assembled with the jar it is not necessary to remove it in order to ren'iove the cover. it is only necessary to stretch. the upper bead 25, leaving the lower head 26 firmly gripping the jar on the under-side of the shoulder l8. The cover may be again inserted by simply stretching the upper head. 25. If desired, the elastic band may be left connected with the neck of the jar without removing it at any time. In this way the upper bead 25 will correspond in function and in operation with the bead 12 around the mouth of the tobacco pouch previously described and shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 and the grooved closure member 19 Will be inserted and removed in the san'ie way that the grooved disk 13 is inserted and removed in connection with the tobacco pouch The channel or groove in the closure member may be of any cross sectional contour desired, or the closure member may be of any other form that requires stretching of the elastic member to insert the closure member so that the elastic member Will grip the closure member under tension.

It is obvious that the invention may be ,eee

nbodied in numerous other moditied forms of construction without departing from the spirit of the invention.

hat I claim is:

1. In combination with a container having a portion consisting of resilient sheet material formed with a mouth having a resilient rim, a separable closure member therefor consisting of a plug of slightly larger diameter than the normal diameter of the said mouth having a peripheral groove with which said resilient rim is adapted to be engaged under tension, the relative diameters of the rim of .the mouth and of the plug being such that the said rim must be stretched to permit insertion and removal of the plug, said plug extending outward beyond said rim of the mouth to forn'l a linger grip.

2, In combination with a pouch or other hollow container having a portion consisting of resilient sheet material formed with a mouth having an elastic beaded rim, a separable closure member therefor consisting of a disk of slightly larger diameter than the nor mal diameter of the said mouth and having a peripheral groove with which said elastic rim is adapted to be engaged under tension, the relative diameter of the rim of the mouth and of the closure disk being such that the said elastic rim must be stretched to permit insertion and removal of the disk, said disk extending outward beyond the said beaded rim of the mouth whereby the outwardly e2:- tending portion of the disk forms a linger a t- In, testimony whereof I affix my signature.

GEORGE S. VAN VOORHIS. 

